BOSTON – Trevor Story homered to tie the game in the seventh inning and Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run shot in the eighth to propel the Boston Red Sox to a 6-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday night.
Houston starter Jake Odorizzi left on a stretcher in the fifth inning with a leg injury in the teams’ first matchup since the Astros won last year’s AL Championship Series. J.D. Martinez and Kiké Hernandez had two hits apiece for Boston, which has won three of four.
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Matt Strahm (2-1), the fifth Red Sox pitcher, got five outs, striking out three and allowing one hit for the win. Hansel Robles pitched the ninth for his second save.
Chas McCormick hit a home run and a double for Houston, which has lost two of three since winning 11 in a row to go from .500 to the top of the AL West. Hector Neris (1-2) gave up three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one in the eighth.
The Red Sox twice took one-run leads only to see the Astros tie it. Houston went ahead 3-2 on Jose Altuve’s single through a drawn-in infield in the seventh, but Story tied it on his first home at Fenway Park since signing with the Red Sox this spring.
In the eighth, Hernandez and Martinez doubled to break the tie and then Bogaerts cleared the Green Monster to make it 6-3.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Odorizzi collapsed after throwing the last pitch in the fifth inning. He appeared to twist his left leg awkwardly on the delivery to Hernandez.
He turned to cover first base, but collapsed on his first step and sprawled out on the grass, face down, in obvious pain.
After the out was recorded, the Astros staff rushed out to attend to him and then signaled for a stretcher. Odorizzi was emotionless while he was wheeled off.
The team said later that he had “left lower leg discomfort.”
Odorizzi, who entered the game with a 15 2/3 inning shutout streak, was 3-2 with a 3.13 ERA this season.
Phil Maton took over when the rain delay ended.
Red Sox left fielder Alex Verdugo came up limping after sliding into the side wall trying to get to Jason Castro’s fly ball. It went over his glove for a double. Verdugo remained in the game.
FOR STARTERS
Odorizzi held Boston hitless through three before Hernandez led off the fourth with a single. Martinez singled with one out, Bogaerts walked to load the bases, then Verdugo blooped one into center to score a run; Martinez held up to see if the ball dropped and was forced at third.
That was the first run Odorizzi had allowed since the second inning of a six-inning start on April 26 — a span of 19 1/3 innings.
Houston tied it in the fifth on McCormick’s homer. The Red Sox made it 2-1 in the bottom half when Franchy Cordero banged one off the Green Monster for a double, took third on a groundout and then scored on a passed ball.
But the Astros tied it again when Michael Brantley doubled to lead off the sixth, took third after a pair of walks and scored on a sacrifice fly. Altuve singled to give the Astros their first lead of the game in the seventh.
This time, Boston came back to tie it, on Story’s homer.
PESKY POLE
Former Polish President Lech Walesa was at the game and made an appearance on the TV broadcast. He is in the United States helping to raise money for refugees who fled to Poland during the war in Ukraine.
TARP TROUBLES
The rain came down so quickly and heavily in the sixth inning that the grounds crew had trouble pulling the heavy tarp over the infield. Smaller tarps were brought out to cover the spots around home plate and down the third-base line that were left exposed.
The game resumed after a delay of 98 minutes with the score tied 2-2.
UP NEXT
In Game 2 of the series, Houston RHP Jose Urquidy (2-1) will face Boston RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-1).
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